The MP for North East Somerset became an internet sensation after posting a picture of himself and his son outside a tattoo parlour next to a Labour poster with the caption: "We shall have to take our business elsewhere".

The petition calling for him to run for party leader has now gained 23,432 signatures.

Mr Rees-Mogg is said to have been reading the Financial Times at the age of 12 and attended shareholder meetings of the companies he had invested in.

Sam is yet to hear from the MP himself but the young man, from Gillingham, Kent, is hoping he will put his name down for the running, should the occasion arise.

He said: "We haven't heard from him yet but he wrote a piece in The Telegraph saying he would not run and then outlined the policies he would have if he did.

"We think he would be a great leader. He's able to give straight answers to straight questions. He doesn't take himself too seriously and he's a bit eccentric.

"He's posh and, while other MPs do their best to hide that, he is who he is and doesn't care. But he also has a bunch of serious policies.

"We're laying the ground works for him to run for leader."

The Ready For Rees-Mogg page has already gained more than 10,000 likes.